Lin Shuang clenched her fists at her sides, tears streaming down her face.

She was resentful, very resentful!

She devoted all her attention to the princess.

On the surface, the princess treated her and Bailu better, giving them more of the gold, silver and land, while giving Xique less gold and silver, and almost no land to Xique.

But in reality, the princess only gave the real cultivation resources to Xique. The little bit that Xique had left was given to her and Bailu, under the guise of "strengthening their bodies"!

She's clearly smarter than the magpie, so why say she's "not talented enough"?

She clearly works harder than Xique, so why can't she get more resources!

Is it because the magpie grew up with the princess, while she came later in life?

"You promised to be impartial and fair, but it was all a lie!" Lin Shuang clenched her fists, crying out in her heart, "It was all a lie!"

Lin Shuang walked slowly toward the inner courtyard, heartbroken, desperate, and helpless.

Having followed Ji Fengyao for so long, although she didn't know all of Ji Fengyao's secrets, she knew quite a bit, and was more aware of how terrifying Ji Fengyao's methods were than others.

She was powerless and unable to resist the injustice she suffered.

Reaching the entrance to the inner courtyard, Lin Shuang finally broke down completely. She covered her face with her hands, squatted down, and sobbed in a low voice with extreme restraint: "I just want someone I like, I just want fair treatment that belongs to me, is that so hard?"

Just then, a pair of black satin shoes stopped in front of her.

Lin Shuang slowly released her hand from her cupped hands and gently raised her head...

The magpies inside the house were fast asleep.

Bai Lu turned over, opened her eyes groggily, and found that Lin Shuang's bed was empty. She assumed that Lin Shuang had gotten up to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night.

She slept for a while longer, then turned over and woke up again, only to find that Lin Shuang had returned.

Bai Lu was a little worried. Seeing that Xi Que was sleeping soundly, she didn't want to wake her, so she got up and put on her clothes and tiptoed towards the outhouse in the courtyard to find Lin Shuang.

As she approached the backyard, she vaguely heard a man's voice. The man's voice was very low and barely audible, and she couldn't make out what he was saying.

Bai Lu, thinking it was a guard from the manor, called out curiously, "Who's there?"

Immediately afterwards, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck.

Lin Shuang's startled cry rang in her ears: "Don't hurt her!"

Before Bai Lu collapsed and lost consciousness, she saw Lin Shuang's anxious face. Seeing that she was alright, she felt relieved and a simple, reassured smile appeared on her lips.

Shang Beiyu stood tall beside the unconscious Bai Lu and said calmly to Lin Shuang, "You and her do have some genuine feelings for each other."

“She is just like me, a pitiful person who has no choice in what she does, and she has always treated me like a sister. You high and mighty people would never understand this kind of feeling,” Lin Shuang said stubbornly, half-supporting Bai Lu in her arms.

Shang Beiyu took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped his hands, his voice unusually low: "I have no interest in your kind of feelings where you huddle together in a stinking ditch for warmth. I am only interested in whether you are valuable enough to me to help you."

If you obediently stand in your place and realize your value, I will give you everything you want, and I won't hesitate to pull you out of the ditch and help you become a superior person.

"Are you sure you won't let me hurt the princess?" Lin Shuang looked warily at the person in front of her, who was completely shrouded in a black robe.

Shang Beiyu chuckled contentedly: "Of course, after all, I also quite dislike treacherous servants. Treacherous servants are the most hateful, don't you think?"